Cool Hernandez works his old magic
There was Orlando ''El Duque" Hernandez, smiling, gabbing, and puffing a big cigar with the inscription ''Congratulations Chicago White Sox" on the side. He seemed relaxed and content as he sat next to his interpreter, Ozzie Guillen Jr., the son of White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, at the postgame press conference.
It wasn't much different than the way he acted in a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the sixth inning.
When you've pitched as many big games as Hernandez has, one would expect that demeanor. With the White Sox holding a 4-3 lead, he stared down the roaring Fenway crowd, induced three Red Sox outs, and exited the inning without allowing a run. He pitched three innings in his relief stint, allowing one hit and striking out four in the White Sox' 5-3 clinching victory yesterday over the Red Sox.
To think, Guillen's last roster decision for the AL Division Series came down to rookie righthander Brandon McCarthy, who had mesmerized the Red Sox in a late-season start, or ''El Duque," who hadn't pitched well and had been bounced from the starting rotation.
But Guillen figured he had a 36-year-old legend on his staff with postseason experience. Why not tap that experience?
Nice call.
''I went to him because he's the only guy with more experience," said Guillen. ''He's had a lot of success against the Red Sox. He's known [Jason] Varitek for a long time and I know this kid is going to show up with cold blood. Maybe somebody else would show up nervous or anxious."
Hernandez got Varitek to hit a pop foul to first. He battled Tony Graffanino for 10 pitches. With the count 3 and 2, catcher A.J. Pierzynski made a visit to the mound. On the next pitch, Hernandez threw a nasty slider, with so much movement that it rendered Graffanino helpless. He popped to shortstop.
Then came Johnny Damon, who had doubled on a 3-and-2 pitch in the fifth off White Sox starter Freddy Garcia. Damon battled Hernandez to a 3-and-2 count, but ''El Duque" threw an inside slider that Damon meekly offered at as he tried to check his swing. The strikeout silenced the 35,496 on hand.
''When I walked outside [to the mound from the bullpen], I saw the situation and the first thing was getting the key out," said Hernandez. ''Once I got Varitek out, I knew I had a chance with the next batter. Graffanino had a great at-bat. He battled and I have to resort to my experience, and it's kind of a gutsy call. I called for that pitch inside. My catcher was surprised, but I thought that's the only way I could get him out."
The Sox still had three innings to muster a comeback, but ''El Duque" stuffed them again in the seventh and eighth, adding three more strikeouts and allowing only a two-out single to John Olerud in the eighth. He would have come out for the ninth, but he told Guillen he didn't want to be replaced in the middle of the inning. And so his night was through. His damage to the Red Sox irrevocable.
Hernandez gave way to the 24-year-old Bobby Jenks, who is becoming the new star of the postseason. And the Red Sox were done with a meek 1-2-3 inning in the ninth.
Hernandez is now 9-3 with a 2.57 ERA in 18 postseason appearances. In 1999 he started two AL Championship Series games for the Yankees against the Red Sox, winning one and allowing just three earned runs in 15 innings.
He regretted he had pitched so poorly, 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA, in his last four starts before moving to the bullpen the final week of the regular season. But he knew he could make up for it with a key performance in the postseason.
''I have been in the bullpen before with the Yankees in the postseason and as long as I get enough time to warm up, I'll be fine," said the Cuban-born righthander who is the only pitcher to win his first eight postseason decisions.
Having said that, this calm and cool man said there are always nerves involved in those situations.
''You never get used to it, no matter how many games you pitch in," he said. ''You have to concentrate pitch by pitch and try not to make the wrong one."
Last night, ''El Duque" was vintage. Just like his victory cigar.
